Reason to Smile
by Lexy The Thief
Summary: NEW CHAPTER'S UP! For Sasuke, Sakura's smiles are the most beautiful thing in the world. But are those smiles even real? For Sasuke, they are more than reality... [SasuSaku] R&R!
1. Prologue: Return

New story! This is SasuSaku fic. I don't receive any flame anymore. Critiques is okay, but I don't receive flames. This chapter is edited.

Standard Disclaimer Apply

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**Reason to Smile**

**Prologue: Return**

Silence. A dead silence. Just the sounds of the footsteps were heard in that red, cloudy afternoon. The sun was ready to sleep, decorating the sky with just a hint of light scarlet. From the distance, people could barely see two figures walking slowly yet surely to the Hidden Leaf Village, Konohagakure.

A pink haired girl, with a blond guy about 14 years old, walked towards Konohagakure gate with the infamous 'a' and 'n' in hiragana written on it. She glanced repeatedly to her partner with anxiety apparent on her bruised and slightly bleeding face. Her partner just replied by giving her with assuring smile, making her positive that everything was okay.

_I don't know why I'm frightened._

A faint smile formed across her pink lips. Finally, she was freed from those circumstances and suffering, along with those nights that fear crept up her body from Itachi and Orochimaru. And now, she was walking with her best and most trusted team-mate to the Konohagakure. Her village.

Yes, her beloved village.

_I know my way around here…_

Right in front of the gate, she stopped. She glanced to Naruto once more. She asked, "Is he already there?" Desperation filled her voice, dripping from the edge of her words. She had to know. Just one more time, to hear it again.

_The cardboard trees, the painted seas, the sound here…_

"Sakura, I told you thousand times before. Yes, he is already there." A bit of annoyance ebbed its way across his face. He never understood how she could love the cold-hearted bastard like that. A hint of jealousy fired trough him when he remembered how she begged their Godaime Hokage not to make any problems if he finally returned to Konoha. She even wanted to suffer just to free him from Orochimaru. Saved him from death repeatedly, being tortured mercilessly.

At least that was all he could see. He didn't know what happened to her when he wasn't with her. Every time he asked, the answer was always the same: nothing happened.

And obviously, it was a foolish lie. No one would believe her. Not with her flesh and dress torn everywhere, revealing layers upon layers of scars. Not with her face bruised and bleeding, the deep red caked and dried on her cream coloured skin.

Surely it was more than nothing.

Sakura asked again, "What did you say to him?"

"I didn't lie to him. I don't like lying to my best friend." He said with a shrug. His nonchalant face did nothing to hide his angry eyes.

"WHAT? You promised me!" She shouted in shock, her jade orbs widening with fear.

"I said you were in a mission. A solo mission. No further." He explained. She sighed in relief.

"I don't understand. Why don't you let him know what you did?" he asked curiously. She smiled.

"Never mind. It's nothing." She opened the gate. A few heads turned in her direction, some a little surprised at her appearances.

_The atmosphere is as thrilling here as it always is…_

When the gate opened, her eyes automatically searched for a certain raven-haired boy, scanning the area without her permission.

_I've spent so many nights just trying to see you…_

Unaware of her own actions, she sighed in disappointment when she didn't find him. The sounds and movements of her didn't pass unnoticed by the blond ninja.

Naruto bit his lower lip. Noting the conversation they had for these years, he thought Sakura had already developed a feeling for him. But no, her heart is always on Sasuke, and only for Sasuke.

"_Naruto, you're not an unwanted person. You are important. You are my precious friend."_

Naruto stole a glance of her once more.

"_You are my precious friend."_

That was right, wasn't it? _Just as a friend, _he laughed to himself mentally, _you should know that earlier, Naruto._

She inhaled shakily. Noticing her quivering hands, she curled them into fists.

_I'm trembling now. You can't know how I've missed you…_

She walked towards the Hokage office to tell her the mission was over. On her way, she found him. He glanced at her, noticing how different she was. She smiled at him, as if nothing had happened. Just as if they never parted. Just as if he never left her. Never broke her.

_Missed the fairy tale adventure…_

"Hi, Sasuke-kun!"

_In this ever spinning playground…_

He was startled by her ever-so-calm voice. He always imagined when they finally met each other; she would sob uncontrollably, hug him.

He wasn't entirely wrong, one of her sides already want to hug him right there and then. But the other side resisted the urge to do so, because she knew he wouldn't like it.

The expression was gone in a matter of second. He let out his arrogant yet fan girl melting smirk to her.

_Yes, everything as if we never said goodbye…_

"Rough mission?" he asked casually.

"Sort of…" she replied with the equally same tone. "I want to report this mission to Tsunade-shishou. See you later!"

He waved at her and went somewhere else. She jumped happily. The pain in her body was completely forgotten. A smile, this time a true smile, played across her thin rosy lips.

She found him.

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Thanks,

£exy The Thief


	2. Realization and Decision

Chapter 1 is edited. I forget the important part there. Read it again if you wish. Thanks for the reviews. I truly appreciate them.

Masashi Kishimoto own Naruto.

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**Chapter 1: Realization and Decision**

She was beautiful.

He felt stupid that he just realized that awhile ago. Not that he didn't realize that she was attractive, or almost every male drooled at her when she passing by, it was more than that.

He fell in love.

Not that he cared deeply for her or the urge to protect her forever from any harm just planted in his heart just a second ago; it was started from a long time ago. He just never realized it.

_I have never felt like this…_

Now, the infamous Uchiha Sasuke, the top graduated from his class, stared blankly and dumbly at the blue sky. He was so busy with his ocean thoughts that he didn't realize that the girl he was thinking about was already sat in front of him. And if he wasn't thinking so deeply, he should have seen her straight eyes to eyes.

When he snapped from his thoughts, he was surprised by her presence. "Sakura? How long do you sat there?" She frowned. "I don't know. Two hours, maybe? Why?"

He didn't answer. She asked him out of the blue. "Don't say you just noticed that I'm here. Or do you?" She has changed, he just noticed. She wasn't cling to him like magnets anymore. And yet, he didn't know he should happy or regret it.

He only answered with a shrug. "Naruto?" He tried to change the subject.

She frowned. She took steps closer towards him and touched his forehead. "Are you okay Sasuke-kun?" she asked worriedly.

He felt heat rushed up his red face. "Yes, why?" he asked back.

_For once, I lost for words…_

"You're all red. And… asking about Naruto? You know he doesn't want to wait for Kakashi-sensei for hours." She examined him, "You're hot, but I it's not fever. It's not dangerous, I think. Maybe you're a lil bit tired. Are you sure you want to do today session?"

"I'm fine. Nothing wrong with me." _Gods, she looks cuter from this distance,_ he thought, referring to her closeness to him.

_Your smile has really thrown me…_

She gave a shrug. "Ok, be that way." This moment often happened. He was sick, yet wanting to do the mission or training session, ended in Sakura's lecture and treatment in his own house. Forcing Sakura to stay for a night.

But now is different. He knew he wasn't sick. Well, maybe he was sick. But not in that way.

Sick of love, maybe? _No, _he argued in his mind. Uchiha Sasuke never understood what the meaning of love was.

_This is not like me at all…_

He could deny his feeling to his friends, and lied to the readers. But he couldn't lie to himself. He was truly really madly deeply very in love with her.

_I never thought I would know the kind of love you've shown me…_

Suddenly, a loud, annoying, with incredible pitch voice called them, snapping him from his heaven, "SAKURA-CHAAAN! TEME!"

They glanced to Naruto-who was none other than the owner from the voice-quickly, and suddenly Sakura was already behind Naruto, holding his neck playfully.

"I can break your vocal cord once more you shout like that, Naruto," Sakura threatened playfully in a low, dangerous voice, and yet they knew she was not serious.

_POOF! _Another Naruto appeared behind Sakura, forcing Sakura to release her hold. The war had not yet ended. They still threw kunai, shuriken, katana, and even Fuma shuriken each other as if not dangerous at all.

_Accidentally, _both of them threw the biggest weapon they had in the same aim together to the new figure that was just appear in the poof of smoke nearby the bridge.

Mission accomplished.

"Oops, sorry, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said while looking at him with a faked guilt expression, "I've missed my aim. I think I should train more, if only my teacher come earlier to teach me, so I can train more." She sighed with the dreamy expression.

Kakashi shook his head looking at his team now (while trying to get rid from their Fuma Shuriken). He knew that they already found another way—which the better way—to punish him for his lateness rather than shouting a 'LIAR!' at him.

Naruto was grinning triumphantly at their precious sensei. Sasuke merely looked at them silently, almost smiling at Sakura's act.

_Now, no matter where I am, no matter what I do… I see your face appearing…_

Even though this is a stupid, loud, and annoying team, Sasuke didn't want to lose this team anymore. He wouldn't ever let the happiness being killed once more. Itachi would kill everyone he loved.

And then he realized. Sakura was no exception.

_Red, blood, corpse. A boy, about eight years-old screamed desperately when he saw the sight. His precious family, his precious clan, the figure of the man he had called brother seen when he opened the other door._

He gritted his teeth when the memory came back to him. No, not now. He already had a peaceful life.

"_Foolish little brother…"_

"Okay! Let's do the mission!" Naruto cheerful voice snapped him from his ocean of thoughts. He moved his gaze to Sakura.

She looked thin, fragile, and even weaker than usual. Was it just his imagination? Or reality? He didn't know. But he already made a decision. He would say his feeling, that's for sure.

Only not for now.

After he killed Itachi, he would say his feelings. After no more disturbances in his life, he could breathe freely.

And until that time, he had to keep distance from her, but also protect her.

He had to keep distance from her, even if it means hurting her heart. He wouldn't let Itachi know. He wasn't stupid; Akatsuki's information was more complete than Konoha thought possible.

And this was just for until the time came.

If the time did come.

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It was the next day, just go home from the B-ranked mission. They must stay at the forest for a night to complete the mission.

Well, they had none of the scratch they should have. Thanks to Sakura's great ability in healing. But Sasuke just realized that he never watched Sakura healed her own wounds. He never could tell that Sakura did have wounds, though. Her new clothing is hideous. She wore the jounin vest and no more wearing her short skirt, she wore black trousers to replace it.

When they went off from Ichiraku Ramen with Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji (Naruto had forced them to eat there), a guy came.

Ino shrieked with excitement. Almost no girl in Konohagakure didn't know who the guy was. It was Tasuke Tentaka. Tasuke Tentaka was not a ninja, but his handsome face was famous in the Konohagakure's girls. He had brown eyes, with the equally short brown hair. Even though he wasn't a ninja, muscles rippled out his body just in the perfect place. His number of fans club was almost the same as the Uchiha had.

The guy approached Sakura. The same thing repeated itself in his head over and over.

_Start with usual conversation, _he thought, _start with comfortable situation._

"Hi!" It was clear that he has no eyes for others but Sakura. "This, for you." He offered a red blood rose to her.

"Huh? Uh… thanks, I think."

_Start with usual conversation! _His mind screamed. "So… what are you doing?"

_Oops! _He cursed himself mentally. Everyone knew that it was such a big mistake to ask this _Homo Plainius Konohagakuresis But Beautiful_ species with such a question.

"Standing." _As expected! _He cursed himself mentally. If not standing, the answer must be talking. He knew, they all knew.

"Uh… I mean, what you were doing there?" he tried once more.

"Eating." She answered with the same tone as the previous one.

Tasuke—who already learnt her pattern of replying his questions, knowing that she didn't know the language part that so-called-sentences in answering—started to be more creative with doing combo.

"What did you eat? With what? Was that delicious? What did you do after that?"

"Ramen. Pork. Average. Drink." Her talking mate began to stress. Having nothing more ideas for this conversation, he uttered his feelings.

Sakura fell silent for a few moments. The only thing filled this moment just Ino's giggles and small screams (which filled with envy, too).

"Um… sorry, I can't. Thank you for this, though," she said, referring to the rose she was holding.

Tasuke visibly dropped. Yet in the next second, he quickly straightened up again.

"Oh… OK, but we can still be friends right? Um… would you like to go with me to the park…" he stopped halfway, feeling the intense killing aura surrounded him.

He raised his head from Sakura, only for receiving the leave-her-alone glare from Sasuke and super go-away-bastard gaze from Naruto.

"Uh… hum… I cancel it, I think. See you later." He turned his back.

"Eh? Wait!" she called him. He quickly turned again to her, ignoring the stronger killing aura which addressed to him.

"What?" His voice filled with excitement.

"Um… sorry to ask this, but…" she stopped half-way.

"Yes?" _Maybe she was going to ask me for dating? God, please yes!_

"Um… who are you?" she asked innocently.

Oh no.

Tasuke went to hell.

Sakura frowned in confusion seeing him wallowing in tears. Dark aura surrounded him.

"Um… sorry?" He seemed couldn't hear anything more. Her frown grew deeper, and yet, the next second, she turned back to her friends (which froze seeing her).

"Shall we?" In their conversation in the Ichiraku Ramen, they wanted to do a training session together this afternoon.

They were all nodded dumbly. In their way, Ino asked in disbelief after recovering from her shock. "How could you be so cruel?"

"Eh? Did I?" she asked back with the most innocent voice she ever had. Ino glared at her angrily.

"You turned Tasuke down. I think we'll still see him at that place when we finished this training session." Ino said.

"Oh… So Tasuke is his name, isn't it?" Blood veins began to pop out Ino's face.

"God, you reject him cruelly to hell. He is not that bad! Even if you compare him with your beloved 'Sasuke-kun'!"

Sakura frowned at her best friend. "My beloved…"

Ino cut her off. "I'll mention his entire positive sides to you, compared to Sasuke." Ino talked loudly, completely forgetting that Sasuke was right behind them.

"First, he's handsome. Second, he's not a ninja, means he won't hurt you physically. Third, he loves you! So, he wouldn't hurt you emotionally!"

"…" Sakura lowered her head. "Sorry, Ino. But I'd like to mention Sasuke's positive sides to you, compared to… uh… that guy… yes, Tasuke."

She took a deep breath. "First, I know him. Or so I think, but at least I know his name. Second, he's a ninja, so he can protect anyone he likes, even if it's not me. And I adore him for it. Third, my love life is not your business. Understand?"

"Ok, that's true. But how about loads of presents and love letters which blew up your mailbox and your house everyday. Don't say that you don't know anyone of them."

Sakura's eyes widened. Ino noticed this look. "You don't want us to know that, do you? But it's useless. It is not just once that I saw you reading their names in front of recycle bin. Throwing them one by one. I saw it almost every afternoon. And I'm sure you did the same even when I don't look. And worse than Sasuke, if Sasuke throw them away with one look, you are very kind with every guy who comes near you."

Sakura shrugged uneasily. "…I'm not interested with them. I think it's polite enough to at least reading their names. I already know the contents of the letters. Even though with different words."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at Sakura. _I don't know she's that popular… She always looks so opened. But she hides something that simple… what else does she hide from me._

Sasuke coughed to stop their conversation. The girls' head whipped to him, and blushed furiously at his presence.

Sakura lowered her head, hiding her blush. "Let's start training…" she muttered with such a small voice.

When they were finished, Sasuke offered her to take her home, which accepted. But he noticed her unpleased face when the time to leave came.

"But you're not allowed to pass the gate, ok?"

He nodded, hiding his curiosity, slightly hurt.

And as Ino had said, her home almost blew up from loads of presents, and Sakura read their names, and throwing the letters one by one.

Before she unlocked her gate, she turned to him and asked, "Sasuke…"

"Hn?"

"Uchiha Sasuke is your real name, isn't it?"

"…" _She is Sakura after all…_

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Thanks for reading. I know I said this is angst story. Humour in this chapter just for preparation. I don't like OC much, and the OC in this chapter has nothing to do with this story. He won't appear again. He's just for haha hihi huehehehe…

Thanks,

£exy The Thief


	3. Pain and Sorrow

I'm back! Uh... sorry for the late update. In fact, I already finished this chapter from long long long ago… But you know that I will update faster if I receive many reviews… (I never lied, did I?) If I say I update fast, I'll update fast. 

Thanks for the reviews, though. It's very nice of you.

Standard Disclaimers Apply.

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**Chapter 2: Pain and Sorrow**

He always wondered, even before he had realized his feelings, why she had changed her appearance. Her usual mini-skirt had been replaced by long trousers. She replaced her blouse with a jounin jacket. It's so hideous for a Sakura.

This morning, they both visited Ichiraku Ramen, bored of waiting Kakashi and Naruto. When they walked, he noted the girls and the boys who had seen them immediately began gossiping to each other within their groups.

"Gasp… that's my Sasuke-kun!" Sasuke gave scowl at this statement.

"Who's that guy? What does he want with Sakura-chan?" Sasuke couldn't help but smirk inwardly, and he swore he saw Sakura blushed slightly.

Nearby the Ichiraku, when they were eating, Sasuke's sharp ears caught the beginning of a conversation.

"Whoa… what a cute couple!"

"Eh? Oh… you're right. But do you know that the girl's father is strange?"

Sasuke grew interested. Sakura seemed not to have heard their conversation, for she was reading a very huge medical book that Sasuke had mistakenly taken as a pillow because of its thickness. He almost smiled when the memory came back to him.

_The sun was shining brightly and cheerfully (and without mercy) on top of the light blue sky, blessing the people of the world with its golden rays. On the contrary, the people who were given the blessing grunted disapprovingly and repeatedly washed away their sweat._

"_Why do you read such a pillow? I think that book wouldn't make you stronger. And I think you're smart. At least smart enough to realize that you can't read any pillow." Sasuke asked with a playful tone. _

_It was rare thing, though. But he was bored. He was extremely, horribly bored. He thought he wouldn't lose anything just because he started a friendly conversation in the middle of this overly hot day. It was in the morning, while they were waiting for Kakashi and Naruto._

_Sakura lifted her head up and smiled. "Mou, Sasuke. Do you know that this book has two functions instead of one?"_

"_Making your bones broken and exploding your brain?" Sasuke teased her._

_Sakura shook her head gently, a playful smile across her full rosy lips. "No. First, when you're tired, this book could be your pillow."_

"_And?"_

"_Second, when you meet your enemy, just throw this book at their head." She smiled jokingly._

"_They will die, then."_

"_You get the point."_

When he snapped away from his thoughts, he realized he could no longer hear the gossip. They had lowered their voices to the point that neither Sasuke nor Sakura could hear them. Making sure their secret stayed safe. Or, that's what they thought...

Sasuke used his sharingan to know the conversation from their lip movements.

"…her mother. She died because of it!"

"Really? What a mad guy… killed his own wife... It had to be horrible for her..."

"Yes. And there's a rumour… looks like the girl had been tortured by her own father…"

Sasuke's eyes widened. Before he could hear more of the news, a voice snapped at him.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke turned his head, annoyed. "What?" he asked, the word sounding a little rougher than he intended for it to.

"I think we should head back to the bridge. Naruto could have come back," she demanded.

He nodded silently, in spite of himself, and followed her.

And yet, he still remembered the last part of the conversation that he saw in their conversation.

"_Some neighbours heard her cries… maybe when he tormented her…"_

"_Really? Poor girl… She's so beautiful. She's so young."_

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**CLICK!**

A picture of Sasuke and Sakura was taken by a red-haired girl. Sasuke hated it when they got missions in countries without ninja. Again, a bunch of girls and boys came towards them, asking for their signature.

"No… no. You've mistaken. We're not an actress or actor. We're real ninja. We come here because we were told to. We have a mission here." He heard Sakura explained to them. Almost crying because of their stubbornness.

"NO WAY!" A girl shouted, not believing her. "How could a ninja have such smooth skin like yours? And that handsome guy is so pale. No, not handsome. We could say that he is almost beautiful."

Sakura seemed to resist the urge to smile and laugh. She almost could feel Sasuke's angry glare even from 3 meters radius.

"Eh… that's… traits, I think. If you don't believe me, I could always ask him to kill you." Last weapon. Threat. Knowing Sakura's trick, Naruto let out a set of kunai and shuriken, and pulled out his katana, which glowed dangerously under the bright sun. Sasuke flashed his double katana and a gigantic fuma-shuriken, these too glinting in a silent death threat.

The bunch of people immediately calmed down. Some of them left the four men team. The girl who said that Sasuke was beautiful was still being stubborn.

"But… but you wear make-up!" she insisted, still not wanting to leave. Sakura turned pink just in a second.

"Uh… uhm… It's just… I'm a girl, aren't I?" Sakura stammered as the girl took a step forward to take a better look.

"What is this?" she lifted Sakura's head. "You covered your bruises?" she examined the pink-haired girl's jaw.

Sakura snapped. She quickly made the short-haired girl unconscious, and then pushed her towards her friends.

"Take her home!" she demanded harshly with a brutality in her which they had never seen before. "And don't disturb us again!"

"Sakura…" Kakashi spoke up, breaking the silence. His rough, calloused hand reached up. Sakura slapped his hand.

"Don't touch me!" she hissed angrily. Fear could be heard at the edges of her voice.

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The night was so dark. Not even a star could be seen if they lifted their heads up. They were finished with the mission, already near Konohagakure. But because they were dead exhausted, they decided to rest.

This time, it seemed that the raven-haired boy couldn't sleep. Disturbing thoughts played in his mind. He stared blankly at the tent's ceiling, and then decided to go out, refreshing his mind. As he left the tent, his obsidian black eyes caught one fragile figure.

Sakura, being the only girl in the team, always preferred to sleep outside the tent. She never really slept, though. Even as she was sleeping; she was still on guard so she wouldn't be killed when she was at ease. That was the consequences of being a ninja.

But it didn't seem that way tonight. She was snoozing softly, exposing her soft pale neck to his view.

Sasuke stared at her closed eyes, travelled down to her luscious lips, and down to her neck, and down where… well, that was every man thought about. Uchiha Sasuke was no exception. And yet, his mind was thrown to the scene before. Like how her brutal treatment, that had never happened before. Sakura would never slap their sensei's hand. Even though she had already apologized for her rough behaviour, still…

It wasn't the Sakura he knew. Even though he didn't know her so perfectly, as he had once thought, he knew her more than anyone.

Or so he believed.

Silently, without any sound, the raven-haired ninja approached her. He stared at the candy-haired kunoichi in front of him. So close, and yet so far. Slowly, he reached his rough, calloused hand up to her jounin vest.

On the other hand, Sakura looked uncomfortable. The dark that surrounded her eyes suddenly became darker. With a bit of effort, she opened her eyes, only to find Sasuke right in front of her. Trying to unbutton her clothes.

"Wh-Wha-What are you doing?" she stammered nervously. His cold ebony eyes met her emerald-green ones.

"Strip," he demanded flatly. She gasped softly, and enticingly. Almost making him kissing her passionately. Almost. But this information was more important. He tried to fight the temptation to crush her mouth with his.

"NO! What the hell do you think you're doing?" She grasped his wrists, trying to push him away from her, to no avail. Her chakra was a bit unsettled when she was sleepy.

She stared his eyes and stoic face. She saw neither perversion nor lust there. Only curiosity. In an instant, she realized that he knew her secret.

"Shit! Get off of me!" she struggled, almost screaming. And yet, he paid her no heed. But at least her resistance wasn't allowing him to uncover her even one bit.

The rustling sounds had woken Naruto and Kakashi. They rushed outside, and saw everything. In the most promising position.

Kakashi froze on the spot. _Have they read my Icha Icha Paradise?_

Naruto screamed. "Aaah! My innocent eyes! Sasuke-teme tainted Sakura-chan! Teme! Why did you…?" Before Naruto had a chance to continue his words, Sasuke cut him off.

"Naruto! Hold her! Help me!" Sasuke scowled. Naruto's eyes widened. Sakura was still struggling to get away from him.

"Hurry up!" he yelled. The blond-haired ninja complied dumbly, despite his will. He grabbed both her arms and held it behind her tightly.

Meeting no resistance, he threw off her jounin vest to the side. Her shirt followed shortly after.

Their eyes widened at the sight in shock.

Her supposedly soft, flawless skin covered by cuts and bruises. Some poorly healed, some wounds seemed still new. Ironic, maybe. Due to the fact that she was the best medical nin after Tsunade, the Godaime.

_Why didn't she heal them? She could have healed them easily._

And yet, Sasuke knew the answer. Yes, she will answer that she was too lazy to heal them. However, the truth was obvious. Sasuke knew that healing her wounds with her own chakra would eat more chakra compared if she healed the other's wounds.

And she didn't want to waste her chakra for herself. Her chakra was for healing the others. From years ago, until now, she was still the same. Still the very same Sakura that he knew. Still the very Sakura who prefer would take any pain for others.

_Damn it… damn it all… Why didn't I realize this sooner?_

He was beating himself up for not being there for her. He promised himself to protect her. But what was this? What did Uchiha mean? What was the use of his extraordinary power if he couldn't protect someone so precious to him?

His gaze travelled back to her face. She squinted her eyes shut, closing them tightly; her face was red in shame. Tears threatened to fall down her soft cheeks.

"How could you know?" Her voice was brittle and frail. Just how she looked like right now.

Feeling Naruto's grip loosened, she struggled free and ran towards Konoha. She rushed into her house. _But it wasn't a house_, her mind denied. A house was a place that you could find happiness and safety there. It wasn't her home.

She opened the door, breathing hard, only to meet a sadistic male face. The face she loved with all her heart, and yet, despised to the core. The owner of the face had killed her beloved mother. The very certain best mother in the world, the kindest woman of all. The owner of the very face also had beaten her to a pulp, on many occasions. Causing wounds and scars, bruises and blood, upon her soft skin. The soft skin of a growing lady.

Her so-called father.

"Father…" she whispered slowly.

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Whoa… getting angsty here, ain't it? Reviews are greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading

Lexy The Thief


	4. Past and Future

Hello, there! Sorry for the late update! I was in a lazy mode to download this chapter... Zzz...

Standard Disclaimer Apply... again.**

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**Chapter 3: Past and Future**

"_Okaa-san…" a thirteen year-old girl called out softly. Making a woman glanced back to her._

_The girl's expression was pained. Very pained. Totally different from the face that she usually showed to others._

"_Why do you let yourself be beaten by Otou-san? Why did you protect me from him? The only thing that will happen is that you will get more wounds…" Her voice slurred._

"_Sakura-chan, sweetheart." The woman bent down and soothed her. "Do you love your father?"_

_The reaction took more than a minute. Hesitantly, the girl nodded._

"_I know that, my dear. You're a ninja. You are stronger than him, that's for sure. But you never hit him back when he hit you, right?" The woman said with a smile in her beautiful face. "Why was that?"_

"…_he's my father…" the girl answered slowly. Her voice was barely audible. "No matter how badly he conducts himself, regardless how cruel he is, he's still my father."_

"_You're right." As she said so, she stood up._

"_Okaa-san!" she shouted. "Don't go there! He'll beat you again! I…" Tears trickled down her usually happy face. "I don't want to see you beaten…"_

"_He's my husband." The woman stated flatly, although other feelings could be seen rather plainly in her stoic face._

"_Because he IS your husband, he shouldn't beat you!" she persisted. "If you want to go there, I'll accompany you!"_

_The woman threw herself to a sitting position beside her daughter. As she did so, she dragged her daughter to the same sitting position beside her._

"_Sakura," she said, smiling. "I'll tell you a secret." The girl's eyes widened innocently, asking for the secret without words. The last of her childlike innocence, after tonight._

"_I… love you so much," the woman stated soothingly, still smiling. "How could a mother lead her beloved daughter to such danger?"_

_When the girl opened her mouth to argue, the older one cut her off._

"_I love your smile very much. It's not like I don't love you when you're not smiling, but I love your smile most. Live with that smile." Her voice was soft and calming._

"_Don't cry." She was still smiling. The smile was still there._

_Even the next day, when the girl saw her mother's bloodied corpse, somehow, the smile was still there. Just for her..._

--------------------------------------------------

WHIP!

She bit her lips to keep from crying out. Her tears already leaked from her bunched eyelids. She had held it in much too long.

"You know when your night time's over, right? Little girl?" The man spoke harshly. Silence answered him. The strong alcohol smell smothered the kunoichi. It filled her nose, burning her nostrils. "So why are you late?"

…_he's my father… _Sakura repeated the words inside her head.

WHIP!

Another wound. Blood trickled down from the skin that kissed the whip. Her silent chant kept her from fighting back.

_No matter how badly he conducts himself… _She chanted in her brain.

WHIP! "I have always wanted a son," he muttered under his breath and alcohol effect. "But what I got from your mother is just a bitch like you!"

One closed wound opened again. It hurt so badly. But it hurt more inside.

_Regardless how cruel he is… _Anything. Anything to cease the pain.

WHIP! "You shouldn't be here. You shouldn't be born."

…_he's still my father. _Another tear fell. She couldn't help it.

WHIP!

Tears blurred her vision. Somehow, in that chaos, she saw her mother. Her beloved mother. The only woman she loved with all her heart.

"_Let me tell you a secret."_

_Mother…_

WHIP!

Blood. Blood. Blood.

"_I love you so much…"_

_I love you too…_

WHIP!

Red. Red. Red.

_Sorry, I never said that before. I never had a chance._

WHIP!

Pain. Pain. Pain.

_Mother…_

WHIP!

That was all she could see. That was all she could feel.

_Why must you die?_

WHIP!

The pain was beyond her imagination. Both in her heart and her body.

WHIP!

She remembered his face. The sharingan user's face.

_Sasuke… how did he know?_

WHIP!

_Sasuke…_

Darkness had begun to overtake her, taking her away from the pain, about to make her numb, when she heard a voice. A voice that she knew so well.

--------------------------------------------------

Naruto and Sasuke ran as fast as they could towards Sakura's house. Naruto cursed under his breath over and over. Regretting that he didn't realize this before.

"_Naruto… may I stay at your house tonight?"_

"_Really? Really Sakura-chan? Sure! Eh? But why?"_

"_This is too dark… My father will be angry. I shouldn't come home late…"_

And as for Sasuke, he remembered the moment when he offered himself to take her home at night.

"_You're not allowed to pass the gate, okay?"_

They were in front of the gate in instant. Naruto opened his mouth to scream. But someone's voice cut him off.

"SAKURA!" Sasuke shouted angrily.

Without thinking twice, Sakura swiftly made her way outside the door and ran towards Sasuke. Immediately, she hugged him, tying her arms around his waist, and sobbed incoherently on his muscular chest. On instinct, Sasuke quickly wrapped his arms around her small, delicate body and held her tightly.

_Shit… she hasn't cried in front of me since I've back… not even once…_

"Don't… sob report… sob Tsunade-sama… sob Otou-san…" He could feel her hot tears soak through the cloth on his chest.

…_he's my father…_

That's all she could say before she fainted into his embrace. She fell to the dungeon of darkness. It was black… and black alone. But somehow, she felt warm, she felt safe.

--------------------------------------------------

"Uh…" she groaned. With effort, she tried to lift her eyelids.

When Sakura opened her eyes, she was greeted by Naruto's panicked voice.

"Oh my god! Sakura-chan! Are you okay? We were so worried about you!" His bright blue eyes were so close to hers, and she couldn't help but smile at her friends concern.

She blinked once, then twice in confusion. And then she remembered it all. She was on a verge of tears. That was until when she looked at her body.

As if by magic, no ugly scar marred on her skin. The horrible wounds that was painting around her skin all had been, somehow, erased.As if she was untouched at all. She could do that, of course. And since she could do it, the only one who could do it besides her was just Tsunade, her own teacher.

"_We worried about you!"_

_Who are 'we'…?_

As if from far distance, she heard Naruto calling the other two men team members.

"She's awake! Oh, thank god, she's awake!" A few footsteps sounded from the outside, and when she lifted her head, she saw Sasuke and Kakashi near the door.

Naruto smiled, satisfied. "Sasuke! It's your turn to take care of her! I've already been here for hours! I want ramen!" And without agreement from the other boy, he left. Leaving a thick trail of dust. And when they could see the room clearly once more, they found that Kakashi already melted out of sight.

For a moment, their eyes collided with each other, and they quickly threw their gaze aside.

Without any words, Sasuke dragged a chair beside the bed and sat.

Silence. Silence filled the small white room with thousands of unspoken questions. When the silence was too much for one to bear, Sakura opened her mouth.

"How many days was I asleep?" she spoke up.

"Two days full." _Asleep? She called that 'asleep'? Well, that's true Godaime had given her chloroform to do the medical things, but she had fainted, for god's sake!_

"Oh…" Silence again. Neither Sakura nor Sasuke liked this uncomfortable silence. Usually Sasuke appreciated the peaceful wordlessness between them in the morning. But not this kind of stiff, heavy silence. It was so unpleasant.

"…" Despite her request, Sasuke told the Godaime all he knew, and her father was arrested for sure. He knew Sakura didn't want to hear it. But she would know. Sooner or later.

"Your father…" he began. Sakura's head whipped at these words. She had wanted to ask him about it, but she didn't have enough guts to do so. A blush crept up her face when she remembered how she had asked him to hide her father's unpleasant behaviours.

"He was arrested." He paused for a while. "I know you had asked me not to do so, but that was for your own good," he continued, trying to ignore the look on her face.

"I see…" she couldn't blame him. She just… couldn't. He had helped her. That was no way she could blame him. But she felt guilty for her own father.

As if reading her mind, he spoke, "He doesn't need your pity. He doesn't deserve it."

A small, hesitant nod answered him. Somehow, the atmosphere inside the room felt much better than before.

--------------------------------------------------

"I will stay at my house." Sakura stated clearly.

Team seven was in the Hokage office. They were discussing about where Sakura would stay. Godaime told her to live somewhere else. But Sakura rejected her request.

"No, you won't," Godaime replied calmly. "I won't let you. Too many bad memories for you there. You won't move forward any if you still wake up with those memories. Forget about them."

"I won't forget them. I won't." She replied stubbornly.

_No, I won't forget. If I forget her… it means that she's really dead, right?_

"Well, I can't forbid you to remember them. But at least move away from the bad memories. Move away from your house. In addition, I will make your house for the secret meeting place if you move."

"…where should I live?" Finally, the young kunoichi gave in.

"Uhm… in your team-mate's house." Tsunade answered after thinking for a while.

"Whose?" she asked in confusion. And yet, she hoped that she would stay at the certain person's house. At her certain team mate's house.

_But… _she thought afterwards, _I think it'll bother him. So… well, maybe his house is good as well._

"My house! My house!" Naruto jumped up and down repeatedly. Tsunade ignored him completely.

Her golden eyes moved to Kakashi. Kakashi, as usual, read his beloved Icha Icha Paradise. His visible part of face reddened when he read one scene from the book.

_I WON'T let my student live with that pervert! She will be in danger!_

The same eyes moved to Naruto, who still jumped up and down with the big grin in his idiotic face.

_No, of course not, he's worse._

The woman sannin had decided then. "You will live…"

Sakura opened her mouth. "Listen, I won't mind if I live in Naruto's…"

"…with Uchiha Sasuke."

The final decision was taken.

* * *

Uhh... getting angsty here, aren't we? Or not? This story will be a long one compared to my other stories, I think. But I'm about entering my A-level! How could you expect me to update often! Desperate here, don't hear me. Everyone hates school...

Review, please?


	5. The Very First

Yay! I finally update! I know, I know, it's such a long time since my last update of this story. But please understand. I begin my A-level now, and I recommended to finish it in one and a half year only. So, in other words, it costs my time much... ;

Standard Disclaimer Apply

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 4: The Very First**

After a 'little' fight with Naruto, (which caused one broken nose, two swollen, slightly purplish cheeks, a frantic Kakashi, and a super angry Tsunade) Sakura quickly went to her home to pack her things, accompanied by Sasuke. (Tsunade had told him to do so, who knows if Naruto will kidnap Sakura halfway to her home)

Sakura had already packed her things and now was on her way to Sasuke's house, the young man walking beside her still. They travelled in silence. All these years, Sakura had already learned how to please her raven-haired team mate. Never talk when you weren't asked to. That was the first thing. He hated crowds. Everyone knew that. He loved peace, he loved silence. But the peaceful silence was hardly happening when Naruto bounced around them.

Sasuke took a glance at his pink-haired team mate. Her face was gleaming beneath the moonlight. Adding beauty to her features. He felt heat crept up his face. He was actually pleased with Tsunade's decision. But it had its disadvantages. With Sakura around him, Itachi could easily track Sakura's presence as his precious friend.

And to make her keep away from him, or even hate him. He had decided he would push her away from him. Even if it meant betraying his own heart's desire. But at least she was safe. She was protected by his walls.

In their way, he wondered then. Had she ever been in love with anyone? Or wasn't in love with him anymore?

_It could be so, _he thought. Hardly could he admit the thing. _She didn't show that she still loves me … well, she did, but not that kind of love._

As much as he wanted to think rationally, he felt something bothering him. He didn't want her to look at him equally as others. He wanted to be special.

He… wanted to be everything she ever wanted.

She stretched her body gently in the cool night breeze. Unconsciously, Sasuke's every brain cell recorded her movements and memorized it perfectly. It looks so enticing, so perfect.

_I want to be… the first man you remember._

If she found a new one, would she forget about him? He really didn't want to think so. But the mere thought that she would forget—even in a slightest moment—about him, sent an unpleasant sensation down his spine.

And he could name the sensation perfectly. Fear. It was fear.

_I want to be… the last man you forget…_

His mind was thrown back to the scene before. She hadn't told him that she was on trouble. He didn't want her to do that. He didn't want her to hide anything from him. He wanted to help her, protected her, always be at her side.

_I want to be the one you always turn to…_

Noticing his gaze, she looked up to him. Wondering if he would ask her a question. For a moment, their gaze met each other on the air. Unconsciously, both of them stopped their constant walking to the Uchiha Mansion.

After a long time, she assumed that he wouldn't say anything; she smiled, and turned her head.

Her smile. It always assured him, strengthened him, accompanied him, and enlightened him. He didn't want to lose the most beautiful smiling face in the world. He wouldn't want it. No one else would either.

When he finally killed his brother later, the smiling face would be his… and his alone. He wanted to be the only one for her.

_I want to be… the one you won't regret._

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura's soft voice snapped him out of the daze.

"Hn?" He couldn't think of anything to say besides that word.

"Thank you… for saving me from my father… and letting me stay in your house," she said while letting out her most breathe taking, melting smile.

"I thought you would refuse, you know?" She let out a small giggle. "Thank God you didn't."

Sasuke reddened at the magnificent sight. Thanking the night's cloak of darkness that hid his face from her view.

"You look so happy, Sakura."

_May I be first to say you look delightful?_

"Aren't I always?" she retorted.

"You haven't been since the last mission."

"…" She blushed deeply. The moonlight illuminating her pretty face.

_May I be… the very first to see your face by moonlight?_

"We're home," Sasuke said.

Home. This is their home. A place **they** called home.

_The very first… to walk you to your door…_

_No, to our door._

She smiled, once more to herself.

"_We're home."_

_The very first…_

She stepped in the Uchiha Mansion. This was her first time she came there without limping Sasuke on her back.

_The very first…_

--------------------------------------------------

"This is your room."

_Shiiiiing_

Dead silence. Sasuke himself knew that this room shouldn't have called a room. It was… um…a den.

The room was dark, dirty all over. The window was partially broken. Well, at least the bed and lamp wasn't damaged.

_Of course he thought of this room. I'm here not by his will after all…_

"This room is connected to your bathroom there," he explained, suppressing the urge to smile seeing Sakura's expression. He knew she would be okay, but he also knew that she was a little bit obsessed with hygiene since Naruto accidentally pushed her to a very dirty lake.

He didn't have any choice, though. That was the only room she could use. One room is his, and she couldn't sleep with him. Even if he gave the room to Sakura, pretending it wasn't his, Sakura wouldn't believe it. She had came and gone to his house countless time already. The other room was his brother's. It's impossible he wanted her to sleep there. And another was his parents'. Well, one room left. There we go…

"Oh… okay…" she replied faintly, still stunned with the room's condition.

"Suit yourself." He walked out of the room, smirking slightly.

As soon as Sasuke went off, Sakura began to clean the room with several of the jutsu she had developed herself. Kaze no jutsu (Kazewind) helped her with the horrible dust.

In only ten short minutes, her room was clean and bright. Except for the broken window. She then took a bath to clean herself.

--------------------------------------------------

Sasuke decided this was the time to help her. He stepped into her room without a sound. A habit they had been taught ever since they were trained to be ninja. He opened the door, and froze in shock.

And awe.

She was completely nude. Not a single piece of fabric rested on her peachy, flawless skin. And damn, if his eyes had been his mouth, he would swallow Sakura alive without even chewing. Suddenly he felt his southern region do a happy-joy-joy dance.

He wanted to apologize and quickly leave the room.

He really did.

If it wasn't for the fact that he magically lost his voice at the moment.

If it wasn't for the fact that the devil inside him came, whispering several bad thoughts to him.

'_Whew… Sasuke, those boobs must be at least C cup. C, do you hear that, Uchiha? Just imagine if you could touch her… touch her at the CERTAIN places… #$&$!'_

Hearing the sound the door made, Sakura glanced at him, and went red in just a nanosecond. She pulled her towel quickly to cover her body, and started throwing the nearest things she could reach furiously at him while yelling:

"Go away you pervy head! Get ouuut! DAMN YOU! COVER YOUR DIRTY, SOILED EYES FROM MY BODY!"

The yelling and the thrown things snapped him from the heated debate with the devil and made him run quickly from her room, closing her door with a loud slam, his usually stoic and pale face so awfully red, and harsh breathing.

When she exited her room (with a face bright scarlet and brows furrowed with fury and shame) FULLY CLOTHED with robes all correctly buttoned, she said through her gritted teeth.

"Sasuke, I know very well this is your house. And I know you have every right to enter whichever room you want as well. But please, since you said that was _my _room," she put a great deal of emphasis at the word, snapping her thumb to point at the room, "please knock on the door first. When I say yes, you may enter the room. When I say no, you won't enter the room. And when I don't say anything, it means that I'm not there. Do you UN-DER-STAND?"

Sasuke, with his private area begging to be helped and the damned perverted devilish thoughts starting to get to him, just could nod dumbly to her.

"Okay, then," she sighed (even from the look of her face he highly suspected that she wanted to make another harsh retort and throw more several heavier things to him). Her face colour slowly went back to normal. Then without any other words, she went to the kitchen to see what kind of food he had and disappeared from his sight for quite a long time. He didn't have to tell her where the kitchen was. She often went here to heal his injuries and cook for him when he was sick.

At least long enough for him to take care of himself in his bathroom.

--------------------------------------------------

When he was back, a set of delicious foods were waiting for him on the dining table. All of the foods contained his favourite: tomatoes.

"I don't want to be here for free, you know." She spoke without being asked. After all, she could see the question clearly in his face. "It's about my dignity. I will be your… erm… for a better word… maid… or something like that… as long as I live here."

"Where did you get that?" He pointed at the table. She frowned in confusion.

"Where? Your refrigerator, of course." She answered confusedly.

"What? These foods are made from my refrigerator?" he asked in disbelief. She nodded to him. "Whew… Are you a witch?"

She just shrugged it off and asked him, "Do you want to eat with me, or should I eat alone?"

"I'm fine with either of them. It's okay if you want to eat here," he said with impassive face.

Without any other word, she pulled a chair and sat down. Sasuke followed her example.

After doing her quick pray, a habit that he didn't know she had, she picked up her chopsticks and bowl, and began to fill her bowl.

He observed her while she ate. Sakura, oblivious to his eyes, gently picked some food with her chopsticks and inserted them to her mouth. Slowly, she swirled her tongue closed around them and swallow the food.

Ok, this was going to be _very _hard, and hard, in double meaning. Even such a simple action such as eating, when it was done by her, made his knees feel all wobbly.

_Damn, damn hormones! _He cursed silently. Now he could understand why his fan girls often shrieked and ran out with a hard blush whenever they saw him. (Well, not always. Really, he wished all of them will react like that instead of chasing him mercilessly until he had to perform kawarimi no jutsu.) Because, right now he had nothing to wish for except to pull his head away from his neck and hide it under the table.

Thank God Sakura was busy with her food. A dead silence passed over them. It wasn't annoying, but it wasn't pleasant either. Sakura, too, seemed to feel the same way.

"…"

"…"

They looked very much like a husband-wife couple in a cold war.

Okay, he couldn't bear this any more.

"Sorry about earlier incident," said Sasuke, finally finding something to say after he stormed his brain out. Why did he do that? He was the high and mighty Uchiha clan, the genius, the prodigy, and he spent FIVE MINUTES to think about what he was going to say.

And in conclusion, he decided that they were all Sakura's fault.

Why did she have such a plump beautiful taunting rosy lips made from aphrodisiac? It distracted him from his mind over and over.

And those silky pink hair?

Delicious sweet smile?

Velvety milky cream skin?

Sexy body from the white complexion that he strongly suspected made from the finest silk?

Her purity of angel, yet temptation of devil?

Yet in his mind, he knew very well he couldn't blame her for that.

Well, Uchiha clan ain't worth much these days.

"Never mind," she replied quietly.

"…"

"…"

So much for a conversation.

"You could have locked the room," he argued, finding that he didn't want to embarrass his Uchiha blood that was running through his veins by acting pervy all over when ones didn't look. He HAD to find a reason.

She stared him incredulously.

"You haven't given me the key yet!" She replied hastily, frown and faint blush set in places.

Oh yeah, now he remembered.

He gave an inaudible sigh. The infamous Uchiha blood was now reduced to a puddle of mud, and it was all because he caught her in a naked state!

Now, he was sure that his parents flipped in their graves. He could hear their voice mentally.

"_I was wrong!" his father's face appeared, veins popped at his temple. "I should have never said 'as expected from my child' because the Uchiha should never #$&$…" the lecture kept increasing in both volume and speed, making him deaf. He could catch several words like: "disgrace to Uchiha clan" or "Itachi was better"…_

_His mother, "Sob…" She sobbed, a handkerchief closed her face, "When your father talked about you, he didn't mention this kind of act…"_

He felt like he was getting more and more stupid with each passing second.

In the end, he gave up and ended up chatting with the thoughts inside his head instead. Guessing what Sakura would do when she went back to her room.

Bah! Dirty, dirty mind.

--------------------------------------------------

As soon as Sakura closed the door of her—or his—room, her blood rushed up to her face. Her face was now darker shade of pink than her hair.

Oh God, what was he doing? He had seen her NAKED, for God's sake!

But when she pondered the thing silently, she realized that wasn't the worst at all.

The worst is: she actually wanted him to do that again.

She jammed her head against the wall. _Pervert! Pervert! _She scolded herself.

When she got through her 'self-punishment-for-her-dirty-mind', which was unnecessary since she wasn't a nun, she threw herself onto the bed.

She rolled over until she was on her stomach, her face stuffed to the pillow.

After a few minutes, her lips quirked into a smile, a quite naughty little grin.

Well, at least this was the worst that could come, wasn't it?

…

Right?

Maybe she wouldn't think so if she had Byakkugan and realized that the other person in Uchiha Mansion was practically leaving every other moment to 'go to the bathroom.'

Or if she knew that Naruto was now rolled on his bed while chanting her name in agony. ("My Sakura-chan… with that teme… Sakura-chan…")

Or if she knew that Kakashi was now reading Icha Icha Paradise and imagining her and the certain Uchiha as the main role.

Or if she knew that Jiraiya had jumped up like a child in a candy shop when he heard the news, and had gotten a sudden INCREDIBLE inspiration from the fact.

But thank God she didn't know any of that. Or else she could die on the spot.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Wahaha! Pervert Sasuke is always fancied me, and I finally able to make one! (phew!)

Well, I can't update as often as I was before. The reason is already in the head note.

A-level! One and a half year! FOUR SUBJECTS! _(wallow in blood, tears, and sweat)_

Hope you understand.

Well, if I get considerable amount of reviews, I may (in very high possibility) corrupt my sleep time to make this fic update faster.

_Evil laugh._

Thanks for ginbaby for her great betaing skill.

**Onna Ooji – **that is ALW's as well, it's 'The First Man You Remember' from 'Aspects of Love'.

Thanks,  
£exy The Thief


	6. A Midnight Confession

This is an unbetaed version. Sorry, I'll contact my beta as soon as possible. Or I'll get another beta. Anyone want to volunteer? Give me ur e-mail.

Standard Disclaimer Apply

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 5: A Midnight Confession**

The morning came. Sasuke came out from his room with a yawn and went straight to the kitchen. Half way to the kitchen, he saw that the breakfast was already on the dining table.

_Huh? How the food could magically conjured on my table…?_

The memory came back to him.

_Oh yeah, Sakura._

He sat and began to eat. Several minutes later, a door that was Sakura's room cracked opened.

"Ohayou," she said cheerfully. Judging from her still wet hair and a towel around her neck, she must be after taking a shower.

Suddenly, an unbidden image of her showering came to his mind. He mentally kicked the thoughts off. Even though he found it hard to ignore the devil that kept whispering 'black side' thoughts to him. Sure, the angel had reminded him and tried desperately to drag him to the right side, but the temptation was too strong.

_Think, _he thought hard, _think about other things. Other un-sexy things… Training… House… Itachi…_

And it clicked on him.

Since when his house became so… sparkling?

"You cleaned my house?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes," Sakura responded automatically, "Don't worry, I didn't touch any of the rooms that I don't know." She added quickly after looking at his changing expression.

"Ah." Now it dawned to him. What he had thought actually was such a good housewife she would become. She could cook, she was sexy, cleaning his house, and especially she was none other than Haruno Sakura… the girl he was madly in love with…

Wait, wait a second. He shouldn't think that way towards HIS Sakura right now.

He smacked himself to think that way.

_Keep your emotions! _He warned himself, _until the time comes, keep your emotions inside! Keep your pervert thoughts until your DEAR brother die, and then you could ravish her in all the ways and positions you want!_

"Thanks, anyway," he said flatly. Total contrast from his mind.

"No prob," she said with a hint of cheerfulness in her voice.

He shrugged. "You don't eat?"

"I'm in my diet."

"You're already too thin for a diet."

"Oh, sorry. I mean, I'll buy anything else later, and then I eat. I just can eat several things due to my… err… to maintain good health." She added quickly.

He frowned at her sudden secretive attitude. But he couldn't ask her. It didn't like him. But then it hit him. Yesterday, he had been so fascinated by _how _she ate, and so, in result, he had been failed to notice _what_ she ate.

Before the devil could whisper some more thoughts for him, the angel smacked the devil on its head. The simple act's result is a swollen head in the same size as the chicken egg growing on the devil's head.

--------------------------------------------------

They were waiting on the cherry blossom tree. Since Sasuke was back, they made an appointment that during the spring, they would meet on the cherry blossom tree in case they couldn't meet on the bridge. And if they didn't meet each other on the tree either, they would know that the meeting place was in the Ichiraku Ramen.

Yeah, they didn't meet on the bridge if they couldn't meet there. Perhaps because of danger, or it was too damn annoying there. Like today.

The absence of Haruno Sakura in her own house had made a chaos in the _'Haruno Sakura is the cutest'_, _'Haruno Sakura is our Life'_, _'Protector of Beautiful Girls in the World'_, and _'Sakura-chan is so Lovely'_ Clubs. And when the duo together made their way to the bridge, loads and loads of men (and even more horrifically, some BLUSHING women) were crowding the bridge and the surrounding of the bridge.

Then, before they caught a sight of them, they quickly dashed out, leaving a puff of smoke where they had disappeared. Then they quickly appeared again on the cherry blossom tree branches.

He admired her slender feature freely, granted that Sakura turned her back at him. She had changed her clothes. She was now wearing red and pink yukata. It was a special yukata designed for kunoichi to allow the better movement. So he could clearly see her in all her curvaceous glory.

_Lord, I wish I'm not drooling…_

The wind played with her pink hair. Sensing his stare, she glanced at him with questioning look. Boldly, Sasuke replied the stare with his own colder one. Enjoying the face of hers with bliss he hadn't known before. Her pink hair played with the wind, obscuring her small milky-white face. Her large innocent eyes stared at him questioningly. The falling petals of cherry blossom did nothing but adding her beauty.

He could very well understand why she had a very large number of fans. The number of her fans even more than his fan girls. And he knew why. He was cold and emotionless, rejecting his fans with no mercy. While she was polite and understanding. Her blushing innocent face was really… really… CUTE! He was a traitor. She was a loyal shinobi. It explained much.

And she really was a replica of spring. Pink hair like cherry blossom tree, green eyes like the spring grass.

_If only her skin is dark brown, _he thought funnily, _she will be a replica of a tree._

Receiving no answer of her silent question from the older shinobi, she cracked a confused smile and once again turned her back at him.

_Damn, _he thought. _Even though it was a confused smile, I felt weak on my knees. Since when did I turn to such a sappy person?_

While admiring her pink hair, a memory bubbled in his mind. Some people said bullshit about he liked a girl with a long hair.

Obviously, it was a big fat lie.

Because in fact, he didn't care at all. As long as it was HARUNO SAKURA, he wouldn't even mind if she has a super long hair like Rapunzel or if she had her hair spiky or Mohawk. Actually, her hair wasn't short but not long also. It was right below her shoulder. And he liked it that way.

Not that he would mind if she changed her hair style.

Not that he would ever admit that out loud.

Sakura with short hair looked tough, fiery, challenging, tempting. While with long hair, she looked feminine, stunning, graceful, angel-like, fuckable…

…

_Where did that come from!_

The great Lexy The Thief, of course. But never mind that.

The bliss and peaceful moment was cut short when a loud-mouth blond misplaced at his replacement jutsu right above his head while saying:

"OHAYOUU… Aaah! Teme!"

Sakura quickly glanced up and grinned at the intruder of peace. She grinned to him, the gesture that quickly made Sasuke's stomach flipped over.

"Naruto, as a Hokage wanna-be, you're hopeless." She laughed.

"Hey, that was a simple mistake!" Naruto protested.

"Dobe, you're sitting on my head." Sasuke growled. "Sakura was right. You're hopeless."

She let out a small giggle. Expectantly, the Uchiha and the infamous Hokage wanna-be fought each other, verbally and physically.

Some minutes later…

POOF!

Kakashi came.

When Naruto _accidentally _kick him, causing the oldest shinobi fell from the tree.

"Sorry, sensei!" Naruto's face was a total contrast to the words. He grinned from ear to ear. His infamous foxy grin.

Sakura laughed again. _The days can never be peaceful when they are around. Not that I mind, though._

_But I want to spend my time more with him…_

Without words, she jumped off from the tree branch when Kakashi told them to follow him to Hokage office. Sasuke felt a little bit disappointed when Sakura was out of his sight. He stared her back for the last second.

A little bit lower from her back, if you want to be precise.

_Nice ass, _he thought as he followed her example to jump off the tree.

--------------------------------------------------

It was a B-Rank mission, the Hokage had said. But all the way, they didn't even meet a ninja. By far, they had met a minor robber.

Apparently, guarding a princess from a Stone Country was just a piece of cake.

They kept walking and walking. Interrupted by a few incidents, though. For example, Naruto misheard Kakashi's giggle when reading Icha Icha Paradise as one of Sakura's pervy fan's giggle. And reflexively kicked his former sensei until the copy ninja was black and blue underneath his robes.

Or when Sasuke's nose _magically _bleeding as Sakura's kimono was ripped just below her chest as the kunoichi fought a robber, purposely not avoiding the weapon, knowing that the weapon would just rip her kimono as the greatest result.

She would just stitch it back, no big deal.

But apparently, it was a HUGE deal for the Uchiha.

Or for the Uzumaki. Who unusually quiet afterwards.

Or when the princess they must guard suddenly fell with a STOMACHACHE, and they frantically searching for a toilet she could use.

And so on, and so forth.

As the ridiculous incidents happened all the way to hell, they kept walking to their destination. Funny, perhaps. They were so cool, so strong, so tough, and so merciless when it comes to fighting. Out of there, they were no difference with other teenagers.

…

If you couldn't call it more foolish and more ridiculous than other teenagers.

But it was the one which made Team 7 so famous, right?

Oh… how typical they are. Look at them now. Naruto had one of his arm wrapped around Sakura's waist the other on Sakura's shoulder. Sakura remained nonchalant, getting used to the gesture, and tired of telling him to stop it. Sasuke was Sasuke. He remained cool, but inside he was ready to raise his katana and stabbed the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki from behind. Neither Sakura nor Naruto notice the death glare from the Uchiha heir, yet Sakura could notice the suffocating feeling. Kakashi kept his head down to his soul mate a.k.a. Icha Icha Paradise, and mumbling to himself.

"Let them be…"

Oh, what an ordinary lovely daily sight…

Near midnight, they set a camp nearby the Stone Village.

"Hahaha! I bring my own tent! I don't have to share my futon with that TEME!" Naruto laughed happily, grinning from ear to ear. Evil shadow graced his face.

Everyone was sweat dropped. He brought such a gigantic tent with him. It was now clicked to him what was he brought in the travelling bag.

"Err… Naruto, that was great. But… you don't have to bring the GIGA camp just for you alone. The usual camp even much smaller." Sakura's explanation brought the dropped look to the blond boy.

"Ah… I think you're right." In a second, Naruto's face changed again to its previous state. "But look at the bright side! You can sleep with me, Sakura-chan!"

**SMACK!**

"Ow! It hurts! Teme! Come back here! Hey! Coward!" The blond yelled, holding his swollen head.

Ignoring the blonde's protest, Sasuke listlessly entered his own small camp. Sakura frowned.

_What's wrong with him?_

She set herself into a sitting position, leaning against a big tree.

Gazing the stars.

Unknown to everyone, she liked this.

The quiet.

The stars.

And the fact that she was alone, free to cry.

But the tears that almost fell every night didn't stream down her face.

Slowly yet firmly, she walked into a gigantic tent.

"Naruto, I want to confess something."

--------------------------------------------------

The Uchiha prodigy soundlessly crawled off from his futon and exited the tent. He was worried of her female companion.

He knew she didn't bring a blanket for herself.

Yet, the sight of her was nowhere as he got off the tent. Panicked, Sasuke began to turn on his sharingan.

He was relieved when he heard her voice from Naruto's tent.

Good, she was still here.

…

Wait! Naruto's tent?

_Damn! What is that DOBE doing with Sakura?_

He stopped when he heard her voice talked to Naruto.

"…doesn't like to have a daughter. He wants a son."

Sasuke knew that she was talking about his father. But why Naruto? She could talk to him. He would listen eagerly.

Yet he knew, that his attitude towards her all the time couldn't make Sakura think that things like that probable.

She would think: 'He won't even care to listen.'

But the damnation that it was Naruto.

NARUTO!

She could always talk to Kakashi. He was a good listener, also could give good advices. But what was so special in that DOBE so she talked to the DOBE of all people?

Damn!

His thought snapped again when he heard her voice. This time, she sounded like she bit back her sobs.

"So… I joined the ninja academy to enlighten my father. To be closer to a boyish image. But I failed. You remember how girlish I was, don't you?"

"…I disappointed him, again."

"So I trained hard. For my sake, for Sasuke," Sasuke felt his heart thumped loudly as his name was mentioned. "For team seven… and… for my father."

"But then he killed my mom."

"I hate him for that. That time, I felt all my attempts are a complete waste. I regret joining ninja academy, I hate that I had beaten myself to death in purpose to become stronger. I hate…"

_I hate him. Hate him for destroying my life. Hate him for killing the only soul who loves me._

She sobbed. Unable to continue.

After she became calmer, she spoke again. Her voice was a little bit husky from all the tears she had shed.

"But… If my father approved me for what I am, I can't meet you, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei, Ino, and others."

"Which one should be wished for?"

"Which one I should be thanked to?"

Naruto hugged her shoulder.

"I don't know… about your father or your family."

"But I know one thing."

"I'm glad… I can meet you. I'm glad… we can be a team."

She hugged Naruto back, crying in his now broad shoulder. Crying for herself, Sasuke, and yet, she felt safe, calm.

She fell into a deep slumber afterward.

Sasuke moved away from the tent's mouth, gritting his teeth, clenching his fists.

She always smiled in his presence, always helping him, healing him, protecting him. But she never, _ever_ showed her weakness in front of him ever since he was back. Well, save for one time when he rescued her from her father.

Yet…

She opened up in front of Naruto. His rival. She cried in front of him. She poured all of her sadness to him. Opened her heart…

Sasuke never knew her sadness, her wish…

She never told him.

Once, perhaps. When they had been still a genin.

"_And… my dream… is…" She stared at him shyly._

She dreamt… to be with him.

He doubted if she still wish the same. But he wished she hadn't changed her mind yet.

For… one day, he wanted to change her family name…

To be the same as his.

Uchiha.

_Uchiha Sakura sounds good, after all…_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Er... Well, that is it. What do you think? Tell me!

I won't be updating for a month, because touching the computer is forbidden during this May. I'm taking my IGCSE final test.

Pray for me. I repeat, pray for me! If I'm not passing, I probably could never update the stories! So pray for my success in especially PHYSICS! I CAN'T stand physics. If someone hit by a car, what we must do is helping the person. NOT COUNTING THE MOMENTUM! Right?

Ok, then. Just review and encourage me in my test, kay?

Thanks,  
£exy The Thief


	7. Break Time

The exam went and passed.

Comment?

I'M STRESS!

But at least I managed to post this story...

I'm sad with the decreasing number in reviews... (fingers danced over the calculator)

I couldn't do Physics at that time!

(Stop the babbling)

Well, enjoy!

Standard Disclaimer Apply

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 6: Break Time**

Team Seven was back in Konoha, creating murmurs from the people around them.

Yeah, it was a wonder that the great Team Seven came home from a B-rank mission. Usually, they are given A or S-class missions.

Yet something was odd. Odd in the way they talked.

_Especially _the way the _men_ talked.

Of course, their way home always followed with the people talking about them, whether girls or boys. Given that they were such a lovely sight. Well, eye vitamin for the ladies and gentlemen for all ages, of course.

But it was never this _lusty_.

But then he shrugged it off and just headed home with Sakura.

Never knowing that tomorrow there will be a revelation.

A shocking revelation indeed.

--------------------------------------------------

"Whadda heck? Another mission in GUARDING?"

The GREAT Team 7 was just given another mission in GUARDING another git. Damn, they were STRONGER than another. They could crush a forest in just few seconds.

And GUARDING? It was utter humiliation. Degradation.

"Yeah." Kakashi replied. "And other customers are already waiting in line, so actually, in this month, you'll be full of guarding people."

"And why is that?" Naruto growled as Sakura knitted her brows and Sasuke wore his statue mask.

"…"

Kakashi didn't say anything, just silently leading them to the Hokage's office.

And then they stopped before raising their heads upward.

Sakura shrieked. A shriek that they hadn't hear for a loooong long time.

Even when she had been head over heels with Sasuke, she had never shrieked like that before. Even when she hollered her infamous 'Sasuuuuuuuuuuuuukeeeeeeeeeeeee-kuuuuuuuuuun!'.

"What the HELL!"

--------------------------------------------------

"Shishou! Please explain!" Sakura slammed her hands to her desk. The very first rude gesture she ever made towards her teacher.

"Well…really. It was just…you know, Kakashi showed me the photos of your holiday in the beach, and then Jiraiya turned up…"

"Then…?" she said through gritted teeth.

"And then he said his ideas…"

"That showing a picture of me wearing two-piece swimsuit in a HUGE billboard is a good idea?"

"Well, sort of…"

"How could it be a good idea?" she squeaked, nearly crying in desperation.

"It raises the amount of our clients, and you won't believe this. Our clients are willing to pay us twice as much! It's even more than if you did the S-rank mission!"

"Senseeei…" she whined. "For that's reason…you…Hey, my future husband should be the only one who deserves the sight! Aside from you and team 7, of course. But…this…"

Sasuke and Naruto instantly turned into tomato with blond and raven hair when their ears caught 'my future husband'.

_It HAS to be ME!_

"Hey, in this era, money is everything!" Tsunade stood up, balling her fist. "And it's not like you were the only one there! The other three males in your team were present too."

"They are NOT wearing bikini. They are NOT wearing only their boxers. I am the ONLY one who has to show off wearing a bikini, a towel, and…"

"…ninja suit as well." The Godaime cut off.

"I know! But I'm…"

"…already sixteen." The Godaime cut her off _again_.

"I'm STILL sixteen!" she yelled indignantly. "And I'm underage! And THAT can be preserved as an illegal action!"

"Well, no!" Tsunade replied firmly.

"How could it be a 'NO'?"

"Because I'm the HOKAGE here! I'm the one who makes the rules! And since I'm the one who command to build the billboard, it won't be a problem! And more, MONEY is the STRONGEST power! We NEED money for our village!" Tsunade said strongly, matching the sudden roaring fire background.

"Uh…" She visible dropped, obviously tongue-tied and defeated. And then she muttered something like 'fine', 'be that way', and 'raise my salary'.

"Hehehe… don't worry! I'll raise it!" Tsunade grinned the victory grin.

--------------------------------------------------

"Bet that granny will use the money for betting." Naruto grumbled. He felt annoyed. Now the sight of her curvaceous body was commercially used.

It supposed to be his and only his!

Sasuke wasn't fairing much better, though. His chakra showed nothing other than angry raging fury. They were all could sense it somehow, given that they have a sudden difficulty in breathing.

But he managed to hide that behind his scowl.

And no one would suspect that he was actually _burning_, since he was scowling all the time.

Well, almost no one.

If only Kakashi didn't stare at him with his unnerving gaze behind that orange book.

"What?" he spat.

Kakashi gave him a look that only meant 'you-know-what-I-mean' look. And Sasuke scowled again.

_Damn that pervert and his overly good sense to hell!_

_Damn!_

"…I thought I have to perform Henge if they couldn't stop staring…" she muttered, annoyed by the gaze the villagers gave her.

"…and they would think I'm a slut. Darn." She continued muttered.

Naruto acted quickly. "If you can't stop staring, I'll chunk your eyes out of their sockets!" he yelled, instantly rewarded by hasty movements to glance away.

Sakura grinned in appreciation. "Thanks, Naruto."

"As a reward, how about a date after mission?" Naruto grinned back.

"Err… let's see. I don't think I have an appointment. Well, I can. After making the dinner, I'll go."

_WHAT THE HELL?_

_She actually went to a date?_

No, no fringing' way he was going to let THIS happen!

"Since when are you two dating?" he asked, trying to be casual.

"Well… it's just a date, anyway." Sakura answered. "I had several dates with Lee-san and Neji-san as well…"

_WHAT?_

"…and I think you have known it before. But… ah, it's impossible to you to notice things like these, right?"

He had to straighten this up.

"So… even if you don't have any fuzzy relationship, if they ask, you'll agree?"

"Uh… yeah, sort of. It's just a date, after all. Doesn't mean anything but friendship. But if ones I don't know ask me, of course I refuse. I'm an energetic teenager, but I'm not cheap."

Great! So Hyuuga bastard, fuzzy eyebrows, and that certain blond clumsy idiot were already steps ahead from him?

Even though the Hyuuga more or less had the same composure as his, he had caught him staring at Sakura.

Intently.

More than once!

He didn't even bother to use the Byakkugan to see her. He wanted to see her DIRECTLY.

Damn. Damn. Double damn.

The only occasion in which they went together was only in the mission, in which Naruto was forbidden to join because of his rashness and Kakashi was busy with his own business.

And he realized, in some occasions, she STILL asked him for dates. Casually.

And he had foolishly refused!

Damn!

Even though she hadn't meant anything, he still had a chance in being closer to her.

Well, at least she was in his house.

"Why?" he demanded suddenly.

"Well, it is fun to do so… and the boys are paying for the meal. That's all. I can't be filling my days with some boring occasions every day, right? If my days are filled with eat-train-mission-sleep, I'm already dead. I mean, come on, I'm still sixteen!"

Yeah. Right.

"Okay, whatever. The point is: you can't go with Naruto today."

"Eh, why?" she asked innocently.

"Hey, teme! Don't ruin MY moments with Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled at the Uchiha, fist already on place.

"Calm down, Naruto! Why, Sasuke?" she asked sweetly.

_Grr… think fast!_

"Because you had to buy things with me first for the meal. You said you can't eat my food, so I'll be with you to buy yours."

"Oh…" Sakura trailed, somehow flattered. "Thanks. You're right. Err… Naruto? Sorry, can you please postpone it to another time, perhaps?"

"TEMEEE!" Naruto seemed ready to pummel the Uchiha to the muddy earth beneath.

"Can. You. Please. Not. Act. Like. A. Two. Year. Old. Toddler?" She restrained the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki from punching the nonchalant Sharingan user.

"You're sixteen years old, dammit! And I think you're matured enough when you came back from training with Jiraiya. Let's get it this way, okay? You better save your salary, eat less ramen, and then you can date me to a better place, and treat me sushi, okay?"

"Sushi? Now THAT'S expensive."

"What? You don't like sushi? Well, if the cost that bothers you, I'll pay myself. I save pretty much of my salary, after all. Shishou also said that she'll raise my salary."

…_since when she turned into a girl who thinks about money? It must be that granny; she'd raised the sweet and innocent Sakura into Tsunade number Two! But no objection, though… Uchiha money will be enough. She'll live in my house from now on and forever._

Sasuke's fantasy flew to a scene: in his dim room, Sakura beneath him, totally nude. She was glistening with sweat and moaning his name in a pure ecstasy…

The fantasy went on and on until Sakura retorted.

"But I can't waste much, anyway. I need to search and rent an apartment soon."

The fantasy bubbles with Sakura screaming his name in rapture and bliss were exploded.

_WHAT!_

_Why is she…?_

"I can't cling to Sasuke all my lifetime, right? Come to think of it. If he were to have a girlfriend or a wife, where would I live?"

_Is that why she asked for a raise in salary? No worries, I'll marry you, just not now!_

"You can live in my house, anyway! I'll marry you…" Naruto cut off.

WHAM!

"Don't even think about it!"

The punch was too kind in Sasuke's taste. Sasuke wanted to fry the blond _alive_.

"…don't need to," muttered Sasuke.

"Pardon me?"

"You don't need to find a new one. At least until I kill Itachi. I won't have a girlfriend before that. Save your money first. If you were to save it until then, I'm sure you'll rent a better place."

"Oh, I… err… you don't mind?"

"No. My house was too big for myself, though. My entire family used to live there. It was about 20 people live there, and suddenly I'm alone in the mansion. I don't mind. I'm not too good in cooking either."

"Err… really? Actually, I was afraid that you DO mind so-," Sasuke cut her off.

"No. As long as you cook for me."

"Alright! I'll cook for you, I'll clean your house, I'll water your plants, and others! Thanks!"

_Phew… I have no idea how someone so smart can turn so gullible…_

_In a good way, though._

"Sakura-san, can you please bring me on your back? I'm a little tired from walking." The man they were guarding said.

"I'll do it," snarled Naruto. His kind blue eyes suddenly turned so scary that the man nodded frantically.

--------------------------------------------------

_Is she a rabbit or something?_

Carrots, rice, papayas, spinach, tomatoes, potatoes, beets, garlic, cannabis, silk powder, and other vegetables and fruits filled the trolley. Some were a ninja-must eat, though. Such as the silk powder and cannabis…

Now that was a painful diet.

The only kind of meat was only fish meat! And only Salmon!

Now he knew why her curves were so enticing.

"Be honest to me, are you just in a diet to maintain good health, or you're trying to entice someone? Because as long as I remember, you're not a veggie," asked Sasuke out of the blue.

"No, no…Of course not. I'm currently have no interest in relationship…well, I have. But…err…anyway, it's not for him!" stammered Sakura.

_Damn! She has a crush already?_

She quickly changed the subject. "A-anyway, Sasuke. Choose your food. And no instant meals. They're not good for your health. I hereby banned you from taking instant food from now on."

Well, well, well. Such a good and caring wife, wasn't she?

"Don't worry. I'm the one who's paying today," said her while picking the meat for him.

What? The girl was the one who was paying? He had to maintain his manly dignity.

"No. No need to. I'll…"

"It's okay. For the apology in banning your foods."

"I'm not a poor guy!"

"I know. Uchihas are incredibly rich, indeed. But it's about manners of… damn!" she was cut off with a loud squeal.

"Sasuuuuuuuuuuuuukeeeeeeeeeeeee-kuuuuuuuuuun!" Argh… another fangirl.

"Hurry!"

She rushed up to the empty cashier, quickly paying ("Keep the change"), disregarding Sasuke's protest, and then dragged Sasuke in a lightning speed to the mansion.

Mission accomplished.

As they walked into the mansion, their jaws dropped.

They didn't know who broke it. But the secret about Haruno Sakura now live in Uchiha Mansion was broken.

And indeed, loads and loads of presents, flowers, and cards were there.

"I-I'm sorry, Sasuke! I'll clean this! Really!" She worked at the mach speed.

He was fuming when he found out a card with dirty words inside. And he was goddamn sure it wasn't the only one.

It must be the after effect of that goddamn billboard.

"Sasuke, I think the ones here," she pointed a… mountain of gifts, "are for you."

And that damnable BILLBOARD had the same effect for him too.

"Do you want me to bring them to your house, or throw it away? Or perhaps return them?"

"No. Throw them. If you want them, they're for you."

"Oh… err… I have plenty of flowers here… So I don't think… hey! Chocolate is good for the source of energy! You have to eat them, Sasuke! Or I'll make the chocolate myself… Well, knowing you, I'll make black chocolate. You don't like sweets, do you?"

"I'll eat yours. I won't eat theirs." The sentences brought blush side-effect on the pink-haired kunoichi, satisfying Sasuke. So she _did _still have a feeling for him… Just to test…

"As you have said, theirs are always too sweet." Sakura looked a bit down, satisfying Sasuke again. She was disappointed, alright. He tasted theirs? Before she stopped her flirting, he had always rejected her hand-made chocolate.

In the other hand, Sasuke was overjoyed.

_She DOES have the feelings!_

He suppressed the urge to do a happy-joy-joy dance right there and then. Knowing that wouldn't be a very endearing looks in an Uchiha. Especially the one named Uchiha Sasuke.

"Err… so? I won't eat them… Cocoa can never do well for my body. No… I'm not afraid I'll get fat." She added quickly, spotting a twitch on Sasuke's face. "It's… the food table Tsunade-sama gave to me. I'm not allowed to eat the chocolate even though I'd love to! She said a medic can't fall sick. It's not a good example of medic!"

"…just throw them away."

"…Kay." She looked at the chocolate with wanting look, slightly pouting. She wouldn't eat them even though she wanted it BADLY. Come to think of it, how long did she last eat chocolate? Two months ago, right. She half-heartedly threw all the chocolates she got in Valentine Day. Damn. But her life was much more important than some sweets.

She still remembered: _"Remember, no cocoa, no caffeine, no fatty meat, no fried foods, no fatty milk, no sweets, if you want to taste something sweets just eat sweet fruits, and…"_

"_Just tell me I'm just allowed to eat vegetables and fruits!"_

"…_yeah, you're right. Once a week, you're allowed to eat non-fat meat. Oh, and anyway, ocean fishes are fine for you."_

"_Okay…"_

"…_and DON'T put yourself in overly hot or cold place."_

"_Yeah. Okay. Thank you, Shishou. I understand. I'm a medic myself."_

"_Don't be upset or sad or drown in negative emotion in any condition. Laugh as much as you can, and…"_

"_I know, Shishou!"_

Damn. She fancied chocolate a lot. She could make them soooo deliciously well, and she absolutely loved to taste it!

Not only to make it!

The cooking skill inherited by her mother was now annoyed herself.

Sure, she loved cooking. Back then, she had learned to cook everyday so she wouldn't embarrass herself if she gives her hand-made foods to Sasuke. But she also looooved to taste it.

And her talent was spent in five years to make Naruto ramen if he ran out of money.

Great. Very great.

Well, look at the bright side. At least she could fulfil her purpose in the first place, right?

"Hey, what are you going to do with yours?" Sasuke's voice snapped her as she think while bringing tons of her own presents inside.

"I'll bring them in! I'll put the flowers in the vases! And I'll throw away the cards!"

_Damn! _Sasuke cursed inwardly. _She is bothered to place them in the vase?_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

How was it? Sasuke was OOC. But it was impossible to make Sasuke falls in love without being OOC.

I'm still stress because of Physics and Biology...

Okay, review, please! Your reviews are healers for me.

Eh, can anyone of you do me a favour? If you love my story (and I mean really really love it), please send me a postcard here! Contact me, I'll give you my address!

I'm a stamps collector, you know...

(Still desperate to get more stamps, everyone uses email now)

Thanks,  
£exy The Thief


	8. Care

I'm sorry for the long long long delay… long long long update…

Really really sorry.

But… I'm just reincarnated from the death after my report was given (with D in Math, but I managed to get B in Chemistry, thank God. But the D is not even a real D! It's just because I didn't do the quiz twice in a row…)

…

Alright.

This is an unbetaed version. I want to beta it first, but I feel guilty because I haven't update this story for a long time.

Standard Disclaimer Applied

Enjoy!

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 7: Care**

After a week full with guarding people, they finally got a mission, a REAL mission after a _little _bit of begging and pleading, but they finally could release their pent-up teenage energy.

They were still teenagers! Hormones were raging, energy was exploding.

And a mission would be gladly done.

This mission was actually quite hard, with the absence of Kakashi. ("Icha Icha Paradise Number. 27 will be released today! I want to wait in front of Jiraiya's door!")

"I can't believe he leaves this mission because of that nasty pervert mind-damaging book!" Sakura ranted, emitting a mighty reply from Naruto.

"I don't understand either. I mean—I can evoke better effects with my jutsus!"

WHAM!

"You! You spent too much time with Kakashi-sensei and Jiraiya-sama! I thought you began to be matured. But I'm WRONG!"

"Aww… sorry, sorry, Sakura-chan."

Unknown to the pink-haired kunoichi, all males in her team had read the 'nasty pervert mind-damaging book' she just mentioned and cused.

Sasuke had received the collection of the COMPLETE Icha-Icha Paradise in his seventeenth birthday from the _dearest _Jiraiya. And Kakashi had given him the Icha-Icha Action movie.

His first reaction had been forming the seals to burn them.

But the TEMPTATION had been real hard!

After all, now being with Sakura prancing around him with those skimpy little outfits (or less), he should very well say that the books and movies were really his best friends.

And the 'ignore-her-until-Itachi-was-killed' plan wasn't working either, he just… couldn't.

_Of course you can't, _the angel scolded him, _How can you ignore her if you're drifting off to sleep with the picture of her body beneath you all the time? Not that I tell you to go against her, though._

_Oh, don't be so nerdy, _the devil contradicted, _it's because of hormones, and the normal teenagers should have hormones. The raging hormones. You should have happy enough that the body is normal._

Then Sasuke, being the bastard sadistic ninja that had been trained under the evil Sannin and the sibling (even though he wouldn't admit) of a certain Uchiha who killed his own entire clan, of course he sided with the devil.

Being evil was fun, actually.

--------------------------------------------------

As expected, the S-ranked mission for the Team 7 wasn't so easy. They could never go home without the sickening smell of blood emitted from their body.

Now, the river where they fought some missing-nins criminals from their village was already destroyed badly.

"Sakura-chan! Back off!" Naruto shouted. Believing her team-mate, she jumped backwards and found her genjutsu was broken by their enemies.

"Shut you eyes!" Naruto shouted again. She closed her eyes, then feeling the enemies' presence near Naruto and Sasuke. Calculating carefully, she threw her shurikens to their enemies' throats.

As she opened her eyes again, she found out that her aim was a success, yet some stronger enemies managed to dodge them.

"Good job, Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned at her, which wasn't replied by the pink-haired kunoichi, for she was too busy observing the situation. The enemies left were hiding, no doubt about that. They were waiting for the perfect moment to…

"There!" Sakura threw more shurikens in a certain direction, from which she sensed the chakra unknown to her.

Yet, to her dismay, she saw Sasuke ran into the same direction, clearly also just spotting the chakra.

"Sasuke! Get down!" She screamed in worry and horror, watching her weapons made their ways to Sasuke.

Sasuke quickly managed to change his direction, yet too late. The kunais and shurikens stabbed him.

"Sasuke!" She jumped to approach him, while finishing the task to kill their enemy who was hiding, and fortunately, too shocked to move.

"Naruto! Handle the rest, please! I'll check Sasuke for a while!"

Sakura did the quick examination to Sasuke. She let out a sigh of relief. He managed to prevent the kunais and shurikens from his vital point.

But still… her kunais and shurikens were all covered by strong poison. She quickly sucked up her own poisons from his body with chakra.

"No need to." Sasuke stopped her as she moved her concentration to the smaller wounds from earlier fight, and clearly had no poison inside. "I have no problem with those little wounds. I will still be able to fight without them."

_Why can't you see it? We are addicted to you. A dangerous… addiction. You endanger yourself. Why can't you just turn away from me?_

"Don't be stubborn. It's just a little bit earlier than usual. After mission, you will be healed completely too by me. It was no difference," she insisted.

_Must I… hurt you? Hurt that fragile heart of yours? That you hardened through years and years of training, yet easily crumble away when it comes to your precious ones…_

"Who cares about these wounds, anyway? I myself don't care. Who cares for me, anyway? You're spoiling us too much."

_Even though I must sacrifice my heart to be torn away slowly. Painfully._

"I care." He saw determination in her eyes. There was no deceit. No lie.

It was painful.

He didn't want her to _care_. Especially for _him_.

He didn't want her to _love_.

Yet in the same time, he wanted all of her every being and soul fragments and replace them with his own.

_Sakura, I have decided. _

_In my life, I'm the main role._

"…Therefore, I will always be at your side." The wind brought her promise to his ears.

_But if it's for you, no matter how evil the role might be, I'll play…_

--------------------------------------------------

_By yourself_

_You have to cry yourself_

_Nobody else can cry the tears you have to cry_

_But I will try_

_There's me_

--------------------------------------------------

He couldn't believe his ears. Did she know what she was talking about? Did she know that she brought herself in his life and couldn't get out of it?

"_I care."_

Did she know?

"_Therefore, I will always be at your side."_

Did she?

"Quit the sappy talk." Sasuke glanced sideway, embarrassed. Fortunately, his long bangs covered his tomato head.

If he raised his head now, he would look like a tomato with chicken bum hair.

"Eh?" she yelped, her had whipped upward. "I'm s-sorry… I mean… I caused the wounds… and I think… it's only fair if I fix it… completely," she stammered hastily.

He stared at her face, pretty with pale pink blush. In the normal circumstances, he would love to see her face like that. But then he had realized that she wasn't only his beautiful team-mate. It wasn't only her beautiful face.

He loved her.

Before he realized that he actually loved her, he had thought that she just meant a pretty face to him. That was why he spent soooo much time in ogling. But as the feeling grew… he just knew that it wasn't just a pretty face.

When a guy met a beautiful sexy girl, he normally would ogle at her for few seconds longer, then turning back without feeling anything. With Sakura, it wasn't anything like that.

He knew it. Because in Otougakure, he had a constant 'dinners' as Orochimaru's gift to him. God knew how Orochimaru could have known that teenagers were full of hormones.

Sasuke honestly thought the evil-sannin had skipped that phase in his life. That the goddamn snake had been so obsessed by power so he had ignored his hormones.

Well, not that he could pinpoint a finger either, remembering his own history of leaving and betraying Konohagakure.

Perhaps Orochimaru fell in love with Tsunade-hime too, remembering how HUGE her boobs were.

…

Yeah, that made sense.

…

Where this story went to? It went off the story line.

…erm. Okay.

But the thing was: he fell in love with her. And hard.

She was beautiful and sexy, yes. But Sasuke could name someone who looks better than her… or the one who has more sexy body.

Yes. Absolutely.

Like… err… who's her name?

…

Never mind.

That wasn't the point.

He would still want her if she wasn't that sexy and alluring. She was smart, loving, strong, kind, a bit of an annoying fangirl at a time, but that was the past.

She was a perfect figure of a mother.

He never caught her staring him admiringly like the way she did when they had been still genins.

He sighed as he heard Naruto called them both. Indicating their mission was at an end.

He never thought that 'it the inside that counts' wasn't only a figure of speech.

--------------------------------------------------

"Oh, this is soooo fun." Naruto ogled at the device he just had tried before.

"See? I _told _you this is good." Sakura looked down in satisfaction. "It was the newest device I just received from Tsunade-sama for my good work. Thanks to you too for accompanying me almost all the time in the hospital. Or else it would be boring as hell."

Sasuke's ears perked up as he caught her words.

_He accompanies Sakura every day to the hospital?_

Sasuke had never do it, partly to give impression that he didn't that _care _about her, and partly because Konoha Medical Centre is smelled horrible.

"…honestly, perhaps everyone thinks that being a medical nin is cool and amazing and great, but the truth is you have to deal with all the injuries and poison and all… And you have to smell the horrible scents of the corpses… It would be okay if it was just the blood, but it was also the smell of disgusting…"

Yeah. That was exactly why he didn't want to go there.

He also wouldn't ever go there even if he now knew that Naruto accompanying her.

Really.

He _really _wouldn't.

"Whew… grateful to you, Sakura-chan. You put me in your own personal room so I won't smell any of…"

Even after that.

…

Fuck!

Of course he wanted to go there. He hated it everytime they have to split up because of the opposite direction between his mansion and Konoha Medical Centre.

Even if he should smell the sickening scent of blood and poisons. Even if he had to smell a strongly sickening smell of ammonia when he past the room when the Hospital held urine test.

But how about the plan? It was the coldest, most uncaring gesture of his these days. If he followed her around anywhere like her lapdog, it would be blatantly obvious.

"…nice of you, Sasuke." The voice of Sakura calling his name snapped him back to reality.

"…Sorry?"

A hint of dismay was shown across her face for a brief second, but she shrugged it off.

"Nothing. I… I just never thought you would be actually _wearing _the hand-made scarf I gave to you in last Christmas. Well, it… it is very nice of you to do so. I thought it will join the mountain of rubbish at you house."

"It's still February," said Sasuke steely.

Well, there was indeed a mountain of rubbish at Sasuke's house before Sakura came to his house. But from all the things included in that, her hand-made scarf was the last that could join the rubbish.

Sakura smiled softly in understanding, and then moved to other topic. "Ne, Sasuke. Do you like the new device?"

"Yes. This device is very efficient. We can hear chat without actually _talking_," he replied as nonchalantly as possible. "But this is quite hard to use."

"You have to _concentrate_, Sasuke. If you're not wishing to talk to me or whoever wearing this device from the deepest of your heart, we won't hear you. Even if we do, it won't be clear. Yet… I don't see you go through any difficulties… I can hear you just fine…" explained Sakura patiently.

…_Of course. I want to talk to you so much. I want to tell everything to you, _thought Sasuke, removing the device from its place before she, by any chance, could hear him.

"Of course. I'm not called genius for nothing, you know," replied Sasuke. Earning a soft punch at his shoulder from Sakura.

"I know, of course I know," laughed Sakura. "I've been with you three for _years_. But don't be too arrogant, Sasuke. It can kill you in the future."

"You called me arrogant?" Sakura raised one of her eyebrows.

"Yeah, I did. That's the fact, isn't it?" replied Sakura jokingly.

"Damn you," muttered Sasuke, glancing to other direction, faking disdain. Actually, he was half embarrassed because he was indeed arrogant.

"Hey, I'm sorry! Just kidding, okay?" apologized Sakura hastily.

Sasuke just grunted as an acknowledgement, and Sakura seemed to be satisfied by that. After all, that was the best she could receive from the cold Uchiha.

At least that was she thought.

Her thoughts were cut short as Kakashi came.

When a thousand kunai _magically _rained from the sky.

It was nothing to Kakashi, though. He managed to avoid them… quite easily, but one or two kunai sticking out from his body.

Ignoring them, he said: "We had a mission."

"Eh? What… kind of mission?" asked Sakura anxiously, seeing how serious her ex-sensei was. _But of course… it was Kakashi we were talking about, _thought Sakura._ He probably just acted for the revenge… bearing in mind that we were always close to kill him everytime he was late. (Which is pretty much every day.)_

"….Not a good one. I doubt you'll like it," replied Kakashi.

"No," chimed Naruto, "Don't tell me we must clean Hokage's office or shit like that again."

"No… it's… nothing like that."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Disclaimer: Kishimoto sensei owns Naruto, and Andrew LW owns the song 'There's Me'.

Well, I kinda enjoy the angel and devil part, thanks to Donny for the idea. I HAVE the STRONG feeling that one day Sasuke will love Icha Icha Paradise.

P.S. Send me Postcard! Email me! PM me to get my address!

P.S.S. I still haven't received a single postcard from you!

P.S.S.S. I'm desperate for staaaampssss!

Thanks,  
£exy The Thief


	9. Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!

Standard Disclaimer Applied

Yep, I'm terribly sorry for the ridiculously long time to update this story, I know you're probably thinking that I will never update this story, and yet, here it is! God, half a year…

Enjoy!

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 8: Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!**

_Shit! Shit!_

How could they be in this situation? Sakura and Sasuke both ran to a cornered wall, just to find it was blocked by a huge wall.

After kill—slaughtering a set of given name, they were splitting into two teams. Naruto with Kakashi while Sasuke with Sakura.

Unfortunately, the great and mighty Uchiha didn't know the geography of the town they were working in.

Sakura didn't want to kill anyone beside the targeted ones, so they were ending up by running everywhere seen.

If only the damnable mission didn't happen…

--------------------------------------------------

**Five hours before**

"A party?" she breathed incredulously. "I've never went to a party in a mission before! What kind of mission is this?"

She had liked party, of course. But after her body had begun to develop and men had started hitting on her, she liked the party less. She now could understand Sasuke's feelings. Being chased and worshipped was not cool. At all. It was tiring and annoying. Then, she decided to cease everything that had to do with her fangirling attitude to Sasuke.

Nor Sasuke and Naruto. As the legendary team seven, they always had been crowded with ingratiating people. It was sickening. Sure, the food was great. But then Sakura had always made them the better ones. So it wasn't so important.

"Sadly, it's a must. You have to manage to flirt with this guy." Kakashi showed them a photo of a middle-aged guy. "And avoiding the other… suitors in the process."

"Must it be me…?" Sakura groaned.

"Well, I have two invitations here. So two of you can go. Well, since you're the only girl here, you must go, Sakura. But if Naruto wants to use Oiroke no jutsu…" The visible eye of Kakashi turned to Naruto.

"No, I absolutely refuse that advice, sensei!" cried Naruto. "I'd rather die than flirt a guy to have him grope me or touch me or shag me…"

"Shut up, Naruto!" yelled Sakura. "Don't give the illusion that a faceless randy guy is about to shag me. Alright, I'll do it then, if I must. But… is there any possibility that he swings for the other team…? Sasuke's the type of all girls and all of homosexual men…" She trailed off when she saw that veins popping out from the Uchiha heir.

He had every right to be angry. And paranoid. A guy had used genjutsu to fake himself into Sai, and had made a move on him.

He had been ripped off to pieces.

But still, it hadn't exactly been a good experience in his life.

Kakashi chuckled, "Nope, we've checked."

"Damn." Sakura muttered, while Sasuke let out a sigh of relief.

"Sakura, you're going to need a company. Either Sasuke or Naruto would protect you from the other suitors so you won't get busy rejecting them. You're way too soft at them."

Sakura laughed. "It's tiring, but useful sometimes. It's not that I want them to chase me… But I save so many if I smile at them. Example: I don't even have to waste money if I go shopping as I should…"

She tailed off at her team mates expression. "Yeah, I know it's very evil of me. But then, I hadn't expected them to. It's just a benefit I've discovered later on."

"Is that why you can make me ramen everyday, Sakura-chan?" asked Naruto.

"Yup. Do you think I will empty my own purse just for you? Yes, maybe. But not for your ramen-crazed stomach. But then it's the only way to make you go away from the unhealthy instant ramen. Please, eat something different sometimes. I'll make you one," said Sakura.

"Alright, Sakura-chan… But… just once a week, alright? No, make that a month." Sakura shook her head in exasperation.

"People say that eating the same food everyday would make them sick of it. Apparently, this figure of speech is not anywhere close to Naruto's state."

On the other hand, Sasuke was fuming. _Sakura makes the dobe ramen everyday? So that's why she's always home later than I, to cook a cup of ramen for that dobe!_

"Let's go." Sasuke muttered, pulling her hand.

"What?" Sakura was flustered.

"I'll accompany you."

Kakashi's eyes widened ever-so-slightly, and then a knowing look twinkled in his visible eye.

--------------------------------------------------

Sakura felt uncomfortable.

The ballroom, no, the men (and some women) at the ballroom was making her uncomfortable. She had _known _that this inky vermillion dress was too… sluttish, the slits on either sides of her gown were _way _too exposing her thighs, the low neckline of the gown made the cleavage of hers visible. She also changed her hair colour into brown with Henge no Jutsu, while Sasuke painted his auburn.

She got to admit, he looked downright sexy.

Yet, the dark aura emitted from the particular sexy man was also making her uncomfortable.

Everytime she was asked to dance by some lads, he pretty much showed his distaste with the furrow of his brows.

And a lad was fool enough to ask: "Who are you, her boyfriend? Or… her girlfriend?"

Before Sasuke sent him to deepest hell, Sakura cut him off.

"No, he's not."

Sasuke's lips tightened.

"Is he your father, so he can tell you what and what not to do?"

"No."

Sasuke's fists clenched.

"So…"

Before the annoying lad could say more, Sakura answered fluently.

"He's my brother."

"Huh? You two are nothing alike."

Sakura laughed. "No… not at all. But it was no wonder. His father was quite a playboy, so when his mother carried him in her uterus, his father scored _my _mother."

"…"

"And we're getting along quite good together now, even though it didn't turn out like that when we learn it. And… he's quite… sister complex, you know. So… no one without his permission can ask _me _to dance. And… I think it's quite agreeable to that. He has such an amazing character judge. Aren't you, bro?"

"Hn." Sasuke glared at the guy, causing him to stalk off with a huff.

Sasuke lifted an eyebrow. "Siblings, eh? It was good. But it seemed rather rehearsed."

"Oh, it did. I used that reason all the time when I was with Naruto."

"'With'? What it 'with' means?"

"Oh, no. Not like that at all." Sakura realized what he took from her sentence. "Before you came back, we had missions such as this, and that's what I told the guys. Just so you know…"

She was cut off by another dance request. This caused his expression to darken.

Sasuke's lips were tightened with annoyance that was close to rage, his brows furrowed tightly that it made one fine line. Fists were clenched at his side.

She knew he never like parties, but why did he accompany her?

Maybe… _just _maybe… a little tiny bitty possibilities… that he love—acknowledges her?

That thought alone makes Sakura's heart sporting an unhealthy rate of pulse.

_Don't get your hopes too much, girl… You'll be disappointed again…_

Yeah, that was right. She loved him still, but didn't hope for him anymore. She also didn't ask him to go out with her _that _frequently anymore. Perhaps twice or three times a month.

And all of those had been answered either by a firm 'no' or a scowl.

"_All right, all right. I've got the message. Remove that scowl. It's ugly."_

Always like that. Every. Single. Bloody. Time.

She wanted to _not _love him again. To_ not _want him again. To assure herself that she didn't need him for the reason to _exist_. To prove herself.

And yet, she found herself in love—over and over again—everytime she saw a glimpse of him. Everytime she memorized his (hellishly sexy) voice in her head.

She didn't need as much as a glimpse of him to fall in love with him again, damned him.

She was embarrassed to admit that the main reason and motivation of her regular training and the memorizing of all the books in the library had been him. And only him. Ever since she had had a crush on him, she had thrived to be the best of herself.

She wasn't a fool to hope that he would someday stopped dead in his track, turn around and look at her. Offering his hand at her.

But she couldn't help but try.

"_Ne, Sasuke-kun! Would you marry me someday?"_

_A grunt._

"_Sasuke-kuun…"_

"…_when you grow older and more beautiful, then. And smarter," he added in afterthought._

And then she had been learning like crazy. For him.

But he hadn't even notice.

"_You're weak. Frankly, Naruto is above you."_

And then she had been practising with such vigour.

For him.

All of her efforts seemed useless to get his heart, though. But… she didn't regret any of it.

She didn't want to love him anymore, and yet she couldn't help but did.

Her attention jerked back to the present when the man in the mission files came into view.

--------------------------------------------------

It had been the pervert old man's fault, really.

And partly, also hers.

If only she hadn't use the verbal flirting to flirt that man! Honestly, when he had heard them, they thought they were having sex.

And when he had slammed the door, they had been just talking (very heatedly and sensually, but he should have known that Sakura would never let herself have sex with a total stranger before. But _God, _the pervert had looked at her as if he wanted to devour her. Literally.).

And it had turned out they just had a verbal stimuli first.

In panic, Sakura had just broken his neck quickly. Unfortunately, not quickly enough for him not to click the button of the alarm.

"_I feel… hot. I… want to feel your lips caressing mine… or anywhere you want to…"_

…

Sakura had been unbelievably good at that. He wondered if she would be willing to train with him in her art of seduction…

…

No! NOT THAT!

But still, he had had no idea at all that she had such a dirty, dirty mouth. _God, _her voice was husky and sexy.

Kami-sama, he would have a rough and restless night.

Even in his haze of mind, he could know that the soldiers ran after them were in quite a number. Sure, he could hurt them all, or kill them all, but Sakura wouldn't want that. That soft heart of hers had grown even softer ever since her medical training. Such an irony. A girl with a monstrous strength and a hobby of making Naruto her punching bag couldn't see strangers get hurt.

He turned right and ran, until he saw that they were stuck in an alley.

Darn it all.

The walls were too high to be quickly climbed. If they climbed now, most likely they would be killed when they were climbing.

His thought bubble was pierced when he saw Sakura stripped herself until she was clad in nothing but her white underwear quickly, throwing the gown onto the ground, and then changing her clothing with a common villager one. She also released her Henge no jutsu, making her hair back to pink.

Wow. Sexy robes.

And then she stripped Sasuke off his suit hastily. She opened some of the buttons of his shirt, and moved fast to askew his tie.

"Release the Henge!" she hissed sharply. "They're coming!"

Sasuke immediately changed himself back on his usual appearance. His hair was bluish black once more.

To his surprise, as the guards came, she grabbed his scalp, and kissed him.

On the lips.

"_Quick! Hug me!" _Sakura hissed, commanding through the communication device. _"Just play along!"_

Sasuke was more than happy to oblige. He encircled one of his arms to her waist, and resting the other on her shoulder. She moaned onto his mouth, making him automatically moving the hand from her shoulder to her jaw, tipping her head into the angle that _he _wanted.

"Kyousuke…" she mumbled.

"_Try to take off my shirt, or anything! Say someone's name!"_

"Minami…" he responded automatically.

The kiss was good. No. It was aphrodisiac. Both of them were _sure _feeling this good was illegal. It was better than any drugs…

But then, was this how they plan their first kiss to be?

No.

Was this the time they imagined their first kiss to be?

No.

Did they want to be watched by a dozen of people when sharing their first kiss?

Ew, no.

Did they mind, though?

_**HELL NO!**_

_Fuck _how people think. _Fuck _the fact they it wasn't according to the plan. _Fuck _the fact that it happened _before _Itachi was killed. _Fuck _the fact that they were being watched by dozens of guards. _Fuck _it all.

_This _was perfect.

Nothing could ever, _ever _ruin the memory of how perfect this is.

"—Yuck! That sight just outdid my appetite—"

"—Ew, can't they get a room?—"

"—wasting time… supposed to capture those killers…—"

They left, and Sakura withdrew from the kiss slowly. Both of them stared each other in the eyes, and couldn't help thinking.

_Such a sexy creature couldn't possibly exist… But here there is… Damn it…_

You know, when you missed someone, and then picturing that person inside of your head, and then you think: _"Nay, nobody could be that beautiful…"_

Yet they were _just _beautiful. There were _perfect_ in each other's eyes.

Their lips were swollen, their breath turned into little pants, their appearance dishevelled.

"Phew… that was close…" she sighed once she was out of her moment euphoria, and then looked at him. "Sorry… at that time… I couldn't see any other way."

He scowled. Partly acting, and partly annoyed. He always thought that he would be the one to initiate their first kiss.

And their first kiss was merely urgency.

She frowned, and then stated: "At least this is NOT your first kiss. I am the one who lost my first kiss tonight."

"Says who? How do you know this is not my first kiss?" Sasuke shot back. He didn't remember kissing any girl but her. Sure, he had done a lot of sex. But kissing was never involved.

"I saw your first. It was with Naruto."

"YOU! When I already forget about that, you just have to remind me, haven't you?"

"Your face looked so scary in the dark. It was 'let's-pick-up-a-fight' look."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

She tugged his shirt, leading him away from the alley.

"Put your sharingan into a use. I can't see a damn thing here."

"…Tell me."

"What?"

"Who the hell is this Kyousuke?"

"Huh… him? Uh…" Her cheeks turned red. His body tensed with a sudden alarm. "Oh, well. You get to swear not to tell anybody about this."

_He's her secret lover! I knew it! I'll kill that bastard!_

"It's the name of my future son, you know. If I'll have any."

"Oh…"

_Well, guess I don't have to kill anyone, then._

When Kakashi and Naruto met them, they acted like nothing out of ordinary happened. But unknown to them, the dark blush on their cheeks told them that _something _must have happened.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Aww… they kissed… FINALLY!

Reviews would be highly appreciated.

Thanks,  
£exy The Thief


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